China Railway Tunnel Group secures Singapore MRT contract

The Land Transport Authority of Singapore (LTA) has awarded the civil contract for Circle Line 6 (CCL6) Prince Edward Station and its associated tunnels to China Railway Tunnel Group Co Ltd (Singapore Branch), at a sum of S$310.8 million. It will involve the construction of a three-level underground station at Palmer Road and twin bored tunnels linking Prince Edward Station to Cantonment Station.

China Railway Tunnel Group (Singapore Branch) is a wholly owned subsidiary of China Railway Group Limited, one of the largest companies specialising in underground works in China. According to LTA, China Railway Tunnel Group has recently completed an underpass for the Havelock Station of the Thomson-East Coast Line using Singapore’s first Rectangular Tunnel Boring Machine. The contractor is also currently constructing an underpass at Stevens Station of the Thomson-East Coast Line using the same construction method.

Works on the CCL6 contract are expected to commence by end-2017 and complete by 2025.

The 4-km CCL6 will have three stations and will close the loop for the Circle Line (CCL) by connecting HarbourFront Station to Marina Bay Station. When the CCL6 stations of Keppel, Cantonment and Prince Edward are completed around 2025, the CCL will have a total of 33 stations, including 12 interchange stations with other MRT lines. It will also expand the rail network to areas such as Spottiswoode and the southern edge of our existing CBD.

With CCL6, commuters will enjoy a direct route between areas in the west like Pasir Panjang and Kent Ridge and key employment areas in the Central Business District, as well as upcoming developments in the Marina Bay area. Commuters travelling from areas like Paya Lebar and Mountbatten will also enjoy faster access to the retail and office centres in the HarbourFront area.